Yarn-releasing device for spools.



BULAS. YARN RELESNG DEVGE FOR SPOOLS. APPLXGATION FILED rm. 2a, 1913.

Patented Dac. E6, 91.3.

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nor-sorua :Specification of Lettere Patent.

To ilcoiom if may concern Be it known that i, "Wr ruin Rennais, a citizen oli the United States, residingl at ips- Wich, county of Essex, Ktate Massachusetts, f have invented an improvement in Yarn-Releasing' evices to' 'poolsoi which the following escriptiondn connection `with the accompanying drawing, is ,a specication, like characters on the drawing ,repre- .Santing like parts. n

This invention 'has iter its ohject to provide a yarnreieaSing device to acilitate the unwinding off yarn from spools.

it is capable o'f use in connection with any machine Where yarn is fed 4troni e spool, as, for instance, a. knitting machine or a hraiding machine, and is' `isartieularly he used in connection with yarn or 'thread of that character which is :more or less rough and is likely to have kinks or knots therein. Silk or art'iiieial silk is an example of thread or yarn having the ahove characteristics.

1n knitting machine in which a silk thread is being 'knit into the ahric,'such silk thread is usually delivered from a spool on which, the thread "is Wound, seid spool being supported in a stationary spool support in such a Way that the thread is drawn oil over the ,end of the spool. A silk thread and especially a thread out artilicial silk is apt to have some knots or: kinks in it, and further it has the characteristic that the adjacent coils or turns of the thread on the spool are apt to adhere or stick together somewhat. "Where a silk thread of this nature is drawn oli from the end of a spool in a knitting inachine or machine of similar character, the adhesion of the turns or coils of the thread to each other and the tendency of any knots in the thread to catch on and adhere to the other coils of the 'thread is sometimes sumcient to cause the thread to become broken. 1t is to avoid this difficulty that l have made my invention, and it comprises a thread-releasing and guiding'member which acts on the thread as it is being delivered from the spool and not only releases the turns of the thread progressively from the spool, hut obviates the danger of breakage of the thread due to catching of a knot therein on the end of the spool or adjacent coils or thread.

in the accompanying drawings wherein l have illustrated a selected embodiment of my invention, Figure i is side elevation partly in section slioiviif 31 improvements; Fig. e is a plan View.

' with a knitting machine 'the yarn is led designed to' avhichthe thread is heine;

which lits upon a spindle 8.

in Fic'. l i have shown at i port on which. is supported a. speci l the thread 3 wound thereon. The spool :3 i held stationary on the supoorl'. l L' l i port having the central huh Li- Wuich e" up into the opening; in the spo 'Associated 'with the spool support is a de eye 5 through which the thread 3 is drawn, said eye bein supported on a suilahle arm S0 and sustained in line axiaily with the spool.

nWhere this device is used in connection :rom

the guide eye directl7 to the yarn feed. and needles of the knitting machine. Zlhe thread is thus drawn from die end ot 4the s ool. l'rn order to facilitate this operation Without danger oi hrealring the thread l ploy a thread.guiding .member G .'vhich is herein @own as having a hell shape and which is supported above the end oit the spool between the letter and the guide eye 5. This thread-gilding rnernher has a smooth rounded exterior surface and has a reater diameter than that oli the spool. it is sustained for rotation in direction in unavound the spool. ils herein shown guiding member is provided 'with s huh his sie; extends axially through the soool Q and, freely rotatalolein hearings formed in toe spool support l. The spindle has fast thereto a gear 11 which is confined in the chamber 10 in the spool support and means are provided for positively rotating this gear in the direction in which the yarn is unwound .from the spool 2. lllhile any suit able rotating means may oe en c 1 that herein shown comprises a. @ond fear journaled in an extension spool support and meshing` with il and having rigid therewith a bevel gea Tvhich meshes with and is driven' oy a al gear 15 on a shaft 16. This shaft lf3 leads to and threadn is driven hy some suitable operating part of the machine with which my invention is to be used. lf this invention is to loe used in connect-ion with a knitting machine, then the shaft 16 will he connected. to and drivenA 4from some rotating part of the knitting inachine. will 'preferably inclose the gears in a casing so that they may bo kept thoroughly lubricated.

ln the operation guiding member (l the direction. in which oi' the device the thread is rotated positively in the thread is loeinacL unwound from the spool and as the thread is drawn from the spool through the guide eye 5 it passes around and has frictional engagement with the exterior surface of the thread-guiding member. For instance, in Fig. 2, if the thread is being unwound from the'spool in the direction of the arrow a then the thread-guiding member G will be driven in the same direction as indicated by' the arrow. The speed of rotation of this thread-guiding member will preferably be greater than the speed at which the thread is unwound, so that the frictional engagement between the thread and the thread-guiding member will tendto unwind the thread from the spool. I have found that by providing this rotating device which is positively driven, as above described, and has the frictional contact with the thread, the thread will be unwound from the spool without any danger of its becoming broken, due to a knot therein catching on any adjacent coils or turns of the thread.

With my device it is possible to use thread which is rather rough and im'perfeet without danger of its becoming broken in being drawn oif from the spool.

The important feature of the invention is the provision of means for positively rotating the thread-guiding member at a speed at least as great as and preferably greater than that at which the thread is unwound from the spool.

which the thread passes from the spool to the guide eye, and means to rotate positively said guiding member in the direction in which the thread is unwound from the spools 2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a stationary .spool sup-v y port, of a spool sustained thereby, a guide eye situated in line axially With the spool, a rotatable annular guiding member of greater diameter than the spool situated axially of` l and adjacent one end of the spool and over which the thread passes from the spool to the guide eye, and means to rotate said guiding member in the same direction as but at a greater speed than the thread which is unwound from the spool.

In testimony whereof, I lhave signed my name to this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses. l

WILFRID BOULAIS.

Witnesses:

Louis C. SMITH, THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

